Members Johnny66 Posted January 10, 2004 Members Share Posted January 10, 2004 Hi all, I am considering purchasing this guitar (it is listed under the 'For Sale: The Ultimate Conversion') part of this page: http://members.austarmetro.com.au/~barronc/resophonic.htm It is an upgraded Johnson, and I'd like to know what the stance on Johnsons of this 'quality' are here. I'd love to afford a National, or something higher end, but as you can see, prices here in Australia are killer and, whilst I'd like a resonator, I can't afford a high end model. So, honest criticisms: With the 'upgrade', would this guitar be OK? Thanks all!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S~R~O Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 Johnny66 ~ Hello How about you get a hold of Phil...in Kiama athttp://www.haworthguitars.com.auHe builds them and is a very nice person ...I meet him last year in Kiama and have bought 2 guitars from him......He has some great prices ......He will try to match or beat most prices I saw, when I was in Australia..He is also a great Bluegrass Player to boot.....and You can even Tell Him, SteveO from Louisiana sent you... it's a shame that MusciansFriend does not ship over Seas cause they have some Great prices...I hope some of this Helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unk Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 I bought my son a Johnson strat copy two years ago and from what I can tell it was a great value for the money. It does everything my Fender Strat does and aesthetically it's very well done. That's not to say that they're all decent but his is nice. My son was 12 when I got it for him and he anticipated getting it for Christmas. He walked around saying, "I can't wait until I can play with my Johnson!". I suggested that he might just want to say "guitar" instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orsino Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 Originally posted by Unk He walked around saying, "I can't wait until I can play with my Johnson!". I suggested that he might just want to say "guitar" instead. ROTFLMAO....oh that makes for interesting dinners with the in-laws. As far as Johnsons....for a beginners guitar, nothing wrong with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members S~R~O Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 You Guy's Quack me Up :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 54merk Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 Originally posted by Johnny66 Hi all, I am considering purchasing this guitar (it is listed under the 'For Sale: The Ultimate Conversion') part of this page: http://members.austarmetro.com.au/~barronc/resophonic.htmIt is an upgraded Johnson, and I'd like to know what the stance on Johnsons of this 'quality' are here. I'd love to afford a National, or something higher end, but as you can see, prices here in Australia are killer and, whilst I'd like a resonator, I can't afford a high end model.So, honest criticisms: With the 'upgrade', would this guitar be OK?Thanks all!! This post is referring to a completely modified Johnson RESONATOR guitar. First of all, no matter what they have done to this instrument, paying $1000 for a cheap Chinese made reso is totally insane! I do not care what it sounds like, you will be stuck with something which you will never be able to sell for even close to what you paid. Secondly, they stuffed a 10.5" spider bridge/cone setup into a body which was built for a 9.5" biscuit bridge and cone. It just don't fit! It looks totally rediculous and the cover plate looks like a flattened spaghetti strainer. U-G-L-Y!!!!!!!!!!! Thirdly, for this price you may as well purchase a custom made reso. SteveO recommended a builder, and there are others in Australia, and of course there are the great Beltonas ($$$) from New Zealand. And if you can afford one, there are the great new National Resophonics. They cost even more downunder than in the US, however. If you are new to resos and do not have a ton of money to spend, then look at a Korean made Regal or Dean or Epiphone or equivalent. Don't expect great quality here, they are downright cheap, but if you are new to resos and do not want to invest much $$$, you do not have much choice. Make sure that you have it completely checked out by someone knowledgable since they are often poorly built and/or setup. Also, have the cone switched out to a National or Quarterman, and the bridge changed to a maple biscuit with an ebony capped saddle (if you purchase a biscuit style). Decide whether you prefer a biscuit or spider type. The former is more commonly used for blues, the latter for country, but that's a gross oversimplificaton. Also whether you prefer a metal or brass body. National Resophonic's website has sound bites of various types of resos for you to listen. http://www.nationalguitars.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slide_blues Posted January 11, 2004 Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 54merc speaks the truth, I would say "don't do it" for that kind of money - are those AUS dollars or US? Did you read this current thread? http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=518949 I compared my Johnson tricone to a National yesterday. The budget resos can be fine to start on, but as 54merc says, get it set up by someone knowledgeable. A friend of mine has the METAL bodied Fender reso, it's actually pretty nice ($500 or so). I had a Liberty LO-100 for a while, and it was o.k. ($375 used). The liberty had a kind of muted tone, not a bright as a National, but still pretty good. As long as you don't spend too much on one - used is good - you can play it and get most of your money back when you sell it or trade it in on a better one someday if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johnny66 Posted January 11, 2004 Author Members Share Posted January 11, 2004 Thanks so much everyone!! Just to clarify - I'm no fool. I know that Johnson guitars (at least the one on offer here) are low end beginners guitars, but I have little knowledge about resonator models (of all brands) apart from the high end Nationals and such. I own a range of acoustics and electrics (from Gibson to Takamine), but I'm very grey when it comes to guitars of this nature. I thought I'd create the thread to get some response and draw out some comments. Yes, I read the other threads regarding Dobros and resonators, and agree that a smarter purchase would, unfortunately, involve spending more money. 54merk, you hit the mark when you stated: "First of all, no matter what they have done to this instrument, paying $1000 for a cheap Chinese made reso is totally insane! I do not care what it sounds like, you will be stuck with something which you will never be able to sell for even close to what you paid." I won't be buying the guitar, but thanks everyone for the comments. I really appreciate it. PS: The reason I've been enamoured with these types of guitars recently is because, after years of listening to Robert Johnson, Son House and Skip James, I bought the John Hammond Jnr. movie 'The Search for Robert Johnson' on DVD. I've never seen country blues played, as such, and I bought the DVD out of curiousity. Now, I'm not big on Hammond's voice, but the look and sound of his National guitar is absolutely incredible. Anyone else familiar with this documentary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twangin Posted January 12, 2004 Members Share Posted January 12, 2004 Johnsons are an authentic sounding resonator guitar. The wood bodies with the spider bridge are decent but do not have the volume of a Dobro. Still they are an excellent value and are priced at a couple of hundred. The metal bodies however are outstanding. I own a 30's National, and after resetting the neck and replacing the fretboard with an ebony board it plays great but it sounds different - and not as good as it did. I think new Nationals sound a bit too pretty and lack the gutteral sound of the older guitars. I recently bought a new Johnson Tricone. I had intended to buy a new National and the shop had Nationals and Johnsons in stock allowing me to play them side by side. Cutting my teeth in the 70's I am a made in the USA snob and it was hard for me to buy the Johnson. Have to admit that to my ear it sounded more authentic and to quote Johhny Winter "A garbage can with strings." sums it up. Oh and by the way it cost about $600 bucks which is less than a third of the price of the National. Still, I would not pay $1,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members massimoharmony Posted January 13, 2004 Members Share Posted January 13, 2004 My Johnson JM-998 sounds quite good, especially with National Cone & Biscuit, but that price is just insane!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6and8stringer Posted January 13, 2004 Members Share Posted January 13, 2004 I don't know about the reso's, but I just got a Johnson Herringbone Model Dreadnought with a solid spruce top. It's AWESOME. Say it with me: "Awesome." Cheap as hell, and sounds and plays extremely well. I have a sneaking suspicion that they're made in the same overseas factory as some other, more expensive acoustics with "names" on them. My two cents: all else being equal, I imagine it's worth 2-3 times the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TexTosh Posted January 14, 2004 Members Share Posted January 14, 2004 My JM-991 is a great guitar, especialy for the money. Having said that, I would not buy a modified JM-991. If I were to spend that kind of money I would scrap together enough for a National. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 54merk Posted January 14, 2004 Members Share Posted January 14, 2004 Originally posted by 6and8stringer I don't know about the reso's, but I just got a Johnson Herringbone Model Dreadnought with a solid spruce top. It's AWESOME.Say it with me: "Awesome."Cheap as hell, and sounds and plays extremely well. I have a sneaking suspicion that they're made in the same overseas factory as some other, more expensive acoustics with "names" on them. My two cents: all else being equal, I imagine it's worth 2-3 times the money. Say it with me: "They are made by A...X...L, in the same factory that makes the more expensive Blueridge guitars" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 335clone Posted January 14, 2004 Members Share Posted January 14, 2004 You might want to contact Bob Brozman at www.bobbrozman.com Not only is Bob one of the best National players alive, he is also a dealer. He plays around the world, so it might be possible to purchase either a new or used National from him, and have it delivered when he comes to your neck of the world. Bob is a hell of a nice guy, so anything is possible. As far as upgrading a cheap reso, it is best to start with a metal bodied reso since the cheaper wooden bodied ones just dont hold up over the long haul. Good luck. P.S. He's touring Australia in March and April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6and8stringer Posted January 15, 2004 Members Share Posted January 15, 2004 Originally posted by 54merk Say it with me: "They are made by A...X...L, in the same factory that makes the more expensive Blueridge guitars" I never heard of the Blueridges, but I know it's by AXL. After all, I ordered it direct (as a dealer). I can attest to its high quality, strong playability and great sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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